Lateral shift mower



April24, 1945. R, HQEFNER 2,374,432

LATERAL SHIFT MOWER INVENTOR l Eug RICHARD HOEFNERl BY o n ATTORNEY 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 v VF'iled Sept. 14, 1945 III Mp l Il wl l R M 3 G m A@ Rm ...v x wH ,m 7. O mD O I) \m 1w .m um m F wm B M H /P NJW@ YQ K \T Ww NIH 5 2 R 7\ 3 \A 9 w/zo 4 F HH Y ^m N o w.\ p SM Patented Apr. 24,V 1 945 stanca` .y fLAgTERAL SHIFTMVOWER Richard Hoefner, Spokane; Wash. Application September 14, 1943, Serial No.y 502,265-

e claims. (01.` ses-4277;`

The present invention relates to` certain new and: useful. improvementsV in alateral shift mower and?y provides facilities for .the operator to` quickly shift the cutteribar in'and out afsubstantialwdisp tance during operation, so as. tothereb-ycut an lirregulanswath; while. driving straighnahea'd.. This: lateralishiting of th'efcutter bar enables thevoperaton; tol cut londen `fences#andiquickly retract; thecutter banatz'eachencezpcst i'lhis isl of` particular advantageinrzantting: weeds along fences, because `otherwise,r the;` weedsv Between :the fence` posts." are leit uncut;` or else. theyvrmistobe n cutrbyfhandiwith great wasteof.' time: andieffort;

It left, `uncutJtineygo tot seed; and; make ittimposisible to` control; weergrowth` along: fences-a for considerablefvciistanceron. eachasirleithereoi'.; i

i rEhe invention is: also y of' particularriazdvantage in cutting weeds along: highwaysg. where' various obstructions such as sniallttroost;hushes;:zteler phone; poles; f highway signs etcare.e, encountered mt the path on`the:cutterrbanxandi consequently presenty considerable cliiioulty.` :im `ster-.ning the teamz sonas to: avoid: theses variousf obstructions. With: the "presenti invention, thee cutter har Joan beA laterailyfshitted. so asi to-s amuletsuchxohstmortions: iwhile'drivingfthe tteami straight: ahead;4 thus f saving time1 and.. 'effort anda-accomplishing; more complete; cuttingrof weeds"whichtzwouldeothemfise beunavoidably misseda :n if; 1 i In@ like manner, t-heY inventionaise particularly serviceable. forrcutting betweenzitreesjiri' orchards, not; oniyaforfweeds', butrralsof-forrharvestinefwhat, ever cover crop; that; may: bezvplantedtinvthe orchard. l i

The invention iszapplicablewto various typesof mowers which are ingeneral use,` andiconsist in slidably mountingxthe cutter bar lonY aohinged liftingframe which is raised' by theusua'l; lever commonly employed: for raising the cutter. Abar direct; and the; pitm'ann drive and; coupling ibars for the cutter bar are, swingingly mounted on arinsicarried byfacrock :shaft whichxislever oper; atedso as to laterally-shii'ttheL entire'cutting mechanism and thereby:v enable the*V operator.' to control` the swath;A as circumstances'A suggest? and 'Rhei accompanyingl drawings: show the invention applied-ifa well.l known type of? mower,` and illustrate the` nature and A principle off the invention, which is equally lapplicable to'kvariouslother typesofinowers." 1 i i lFig. `1' is aplan` view of-theinvention applied toal'mower, partsbeing broken away. forconvenienceofillustration: i i o l Fig; 2A is an enlarged" detail :showing the -mannon of 1ncounting.,` pitman crank s'hatin `the swinging arms' for lateral-shift movement.

Fig.` 3l is /anfragmentary plantviewzsshowing `means: for

foottoperaton ot the: roch shaft of 4is antenlarged detail of therjmanner of mounting the footloperated pinion of Figi 3. n

Figi 5I isI an: end: elevationY of. Fig. 1 the* near wheel and other parts being broken away for clarityofillustration.t t n i i wFig. Gisa; fronti vewipartly inl section taken n aigngzthe line-Boflig. 5. i

"Asf'shown the:dra-wings,` theigeneral' conf- Strujction ofthe: mowerfisconventional and consists: of: the afxlehousing: supported; by wheels `W one: of ,whichA is providedwith anxinternal` gear G- :whichi operates:y a drive gear: mechanism: en'- closed; withinithehousingJD and controlled: by a clutch. within the:` housingiC, foot: pedali operation i being provided: as indicatedatili; all ofthis struc ture: being; well known' `to those familiar' with mowers. y f l .i n ,j `The axle'AA housing i H has;Y a forwardlyextend'- .ingz pole frame Eto which thep'ole or. tongueiT is: attached; and a` rearwardly extending? bracket B is provided; for,` the. attachment of thlefseat-S.`

yA-bracket Kwithxatnotchedsector-'Qis mounted t on this pole frame E and this bracketgcarries a stub shaftsupon whichth'e lift-lever Landi foot levers. R.:.are' fuicrum'e'd, these two levers having engaging lugsaszindicatedfatU, aflifting-arm V i being'. operated'` hy` these levers;` all of whichfis conventional practice.l f r `The eut-ten baris-eo11eonv1y'indicated at. M

andi isrseoure'di tothef shoe -N which is hinged* to theI yoke=Y` which isV provided with a lzie'aringl` Z upon whiclithere? is bearing; lt'n'acket"4 with a oranltA lift" device* as collectivelyy indicated1 at" alli of .whichf `iswell known conventional? pra-ctice. I

`In theprior artfpractices; this crank lift X is connected'byfw linkY to`A the aforesaidI armV; but

4inl the presentinvention this crank` lift` X"is conal roller' 3i whi'clii -travel's'- on\ a t`racle4`l so asV to affordl lateralf movement I of the i cutter bar' and the; partstconnected thereto: This track 4` is ets= E4-df 'carried'by'the `aide housingf'Hfas shown -in 1- and JFig. .5: A-1ink`r 1 connects this frame toztne aforesaianfnng arm v; se that opera; tionw of ithe'ifottleverf'Ror lift `41ve1`- L will raise the cutter canin/thiefrequireurnannen `relittingA spring-z 8 isvconnected'ebetween*the front"v of tiiefhinged? frame 5 and: a Bracket* 9```carrdby frame I4 which is secured to a bracket I3 on theI tongue T and to a bracket I5 on the axle housing H, as best seen in Fig. 1. This rockshaft is operated by a lever IB which is here shown with a latch cooperating with a notched sector Il which is carried by the frame I4. Secured to this rockshaft I2 is an arcuate arm I8 in which 1 the rear end of the conventional drag bar Ois pivoted, and the opposite end of this drag bar is journaled in the bearing Z carried 'by the yoke Y of the cutter bar. Paired arms -2I are 2i carries a sleeve bearing 24 as shown 2. Journaled upon this sleeve bearing 24 is a bearing head 3I into which the conventional brace bar J .is threaded in the manner shown in Fig. l. The opposite end of this brace bar J is connected 'to theaforesaid yoke Y in the conventional manner, usually by a ball and socket joint. In this lmanner there is provided the conventional A- frame for the cutter bar, and the entire assembly is laterally shiftable by operating the rockshaft The pitman crankshaft 23 is journaled inthe lower ends of the paired arms 2li-2l in the manner shown in Fig. 2 where it will be seen that the outer journal 25 is mountedwithin the aforesaid Sleeve bearing 24, and the inner journal 26 extends ashort distance through the arm 23 so as to provide for attachment of the lower universal joint 21 which is preferably pinned thereto. This universal joint is connected to a telescopic drive coupling 28 which is provided with an upper universal joint 29 for connection to the usual drive for the pitman. This telescopic drive coupling may be a square shaft slidably mounted in a square sleeve, or these parts may be slidably splined together in any well known manner. If desired, this telescopic drive coupling may be ysupplanted by asuitable length of drive cable,

.. In Fig. l a washer `and pin 32 are used to hold the bearing head 3I in place upon the sleevel bearing24. `As shown in Fig. 2 a tie rod 22 is employed to rigidly connect the arms 2li-2l together in spaced relation.

As best seen in Fig. 6 the arcuate arm I8 enables the rockshaft I2 to be located either to the right or left of the pitman drive and still afford clearance jduring the swinging movements. This is of advantage since some mowers h'ave the pitrnan drive`at a different distance from the wheel than others.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the cutterbar assembly is supported by the roller 3 which travels'upon the track 4 carried by the frame 5, and the entire assembly is held in floating relation by the spring 8. It will also be seen that the lever I6 can be used to bodily move the` entire cutter bar assembly laterally so as to position the shoe N either inside or outside the wheel, an-d thus cut an irregular swath while driving straight ahead; and when the mower is to be used for normal cutting, the lever I6 can be latched to the notched sector I'I so as to position the shoe N in the usual position.

rThe illustratedlever I6 is fully sufficient fo-r efficient operation; however, if desired itfmay be l also secured to this rockshaft I2, and the arm either supplemented or else supplanted by foot pedal operation, in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 3, a base plate 33 forms a web y Ihe opposite end of this rack bar has teeth on its front face as here illustrated, and a pinion 36 meshes with these teeth. As best seen in Fig. 4, vthis pinion 36 is secured to an upright shaft 35 whichis journaled in an upright bearing bracket 34. This bearing bracket 34 is secured to the aforesaid base plate 33 which is preferably bored to receive the lower end of the shaft 35. A pair of oppositely extending lever arms 3l are secured to the upper end of this shaft 35, and the outer ends of these lever arms are provided with-suitable, pedal grips 38. t From this description, it will be seen that the operator can place his feet on the pedal grips 38 and actuate the rack bar 39 to operate the rockshaft in either direction at will. This foot operation may be used to supplement the previously described lever I6, and if desired, its hand grip may be tied down so as to hold the latch free of the notched sector and afford alert operation of these foot pedals with greater promptness. If desired, the lever I6 may. be omitted so as to operate the rockshaft by the foot pedals alone, in which case the frame I4 can serve as a stop for one end of the rack bar and a suitable stop t may be provided for the other end of the rack bar, so as to limit the extent of move- -ment in each direction.

'Ihe operation of the lateral shift device will be readily apparent to those familiar with mowers, and it wwill be understood that for cutting weeds,

' the usual grass board and stick are unnecessary andare removed so as not to interfere with cutting'around obstructions. With but littlevpractice an operator will soon become adept` and can cut surprisingly near to an obstruction before retracting the cutter bar, and then quickly shift to the original line of cut as soon as the obstruction is passed. The time interval required for shiftingin each direction is so short that the operator can readily judge the critical moment in accordance with the rate of travel of the team.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple and eicient construction for a lateral., shift mower, and that the disclosed iml provements can readily be attached to various mowers already in use, or else embodied as a part of mowers at the time of manufacture. Whatever modications that may be necessaryto accommodate the differences in manufacturing practices of various types of mowers, can readily be'accomplished by the skill of the mechanic, and the, pitman can be driven in any suitable manner thatqmay seem most advisable for the parinclination by the setscrewf'lll shown in Fig. 6. l

ther means may be employed for this purpose, as will. be readilyapparent to antT mechanic,

vIn the presentdisclcsure, I claim as my invention: f p

1. In a mower comprising awheeled frame, a

` drive gearing and a cutter bar including a yoke; an auxiliary frame secured to the wheeled frame,

a rockshaft journaled in said auxiliary frame, a downwardly extending arcuate arm `secured to saidrockshaft, a drag bar pivotally connecting said arcuate arm to the yoke `of the cutter bar, f

a pair of pendent arms secured to the forward end of said rockshaft, a crankshaft journaled in `connected between said crankshaft and the cutter bar, `a brace bar pivotally connected between one of` said pendent arms and theyoke ofA the cutter bar, a lift frame hinged to the wheeled frame, a laterally extending track carried by said lift frame, a hanger having a roller mounted on said track, a link connection between said hanger and the cutter bar, a lift lever fulcrumed upon the wheeled frame, a link connecting said lift frame to said lever, a spring connected between said lift frame and the wheeled frame, `means to `the lower ends of said pendent arms, apitman i drive ygearing and a cutter `bar including a yoke;

a rockshaft journaled on the wheeled frame,`

pendent arms `secured to said rockshaft, coupling bars pivotally connecting said pendent arms to the yoke of the cutter'bar, a lift frame hinged to the Wheeled frame, a laterally extending track carried-by said lift frame, a roller mounted on said track and connected to the cutter bar, a `lift lever fulcrumed upon the wheeled frame `and operatively connected to said lift frame, means to operate said rockshaft to laterally shift the cutter bar relative to the wheeled frame, anda drive connection for operating the cutter bar.

4. A lateral shift mower comprising a main i `frame, a lift frame hinged to said main frame, a

i .laterally extending track carried by said lift operate said rockshaft to laterally Vshiftthe cutter of pendent arms secured to the forward end of said rockshaft, a lcrankshaft journaled in the lower ends of said pendent arms, a pitman connecting said crankshaft to the cutter bar, a brace bar pivotally connected between one` of said pendent arms and the yoke of the cutter bar, a lift frame hinged to the wheeled frame, a laterally extending track carried by said lift frame,

a roller 4mounted on said track and connected to the cutter bar, a lift lever fulcrumed upon the wheeled frame and operatively connected to said f lift frame, a spring connected between said lift frame and the Wheeled frame,`means to operate said rockshaft to laterally shift the cutter bar` relative to the wheeledframa. and `a `flexible drive connecting said crankshaft to the drive gearing.

3. In amower comprising a wheeled frame, a`

frame, a cutter bar slidably suspended from said track, a rockshaft journaled on said main frame,

pendent arms securedto said rockshaft, coupling bars pivotally connecting said pendent arms to said cutter bar, means for operating said rockshaft to move said cutter bar along saidtra-ck,

drive means for operating said cutter bar, and

means to raise said lift frame and the cutter i `bar carried thereby.

5. A lateral shift mower comprising a main` frame, a lift-I frame hinged to said main frame, a

laterally extending track carried by said lift frame, a cutter bar slidably suspended by said track, means to move saidcutter bar along said track, drive means for operating said cutter bar,

and means to raise said lift frame and the cutf ter bar carried thereby.

6. A lateral shift mower comprising a main frame, a lift frame hinged to said main frame, a laterally extending track carried by said lift frame, a cutter bar slidably suspended from said track, a rockshaft journaled on said main frame,

pendent arms secured to said rockshaft, coupling bars pivotally connecting said pendent arms to said cutter bar, a pinion fixed to the rockshaft,`

a slidably mounted rack bar having horizontal l teeth meshing with said pinion, vertical teeth on the opposite `endof said rack bar, a rotatably mounted pinion meshing with said vertical teeth," foot pedals for `operating the lattersaid pinion to reciprocate said rack bar and thereby actuate said rockshaft, drive means for operating said `cutter bar, and means to raise said lift frame and the cutter bar carried thereby.

RICHARD HOEFNER. 

